More than 800 barrels of Guinness worth around £205,000, along with two HGV trailers, have been stolen from a depot in Runcorn, Cheshire Police has said.
The thefts took place on Monday (Aug 31) at an industrial estate in the Aston Lane area, with two separate lorries arriving at the site within hours of each other to collect the trailers.
The first lorry entered the estate at around 7.45pm and was connected to a trailer loaded with Guinness before leaving at approximately 7.55pm, travelling towards the Mersey Gateway.
A second lorry arrived at around 9.12pm, connected to another Guinness-loaded trailer and left the site at approximately 9.30pm, heading towards Rainhill and Watkinson Way.
Police said the two stolen trailers were white tri-axle curtain-side trailers carrying GXO branding on their curtains and rear doors. The trailers had unique identification numbers on the rear doors, with the stolen units identified as DL736 and DL542.
Both HGVs are believed to have been driven by men. The first driver was described as white, with a short dark beard and wearing a beanie hat, while the second was believed to be wearing a cap.
Detective Sergeant McClatchey said officers had launched an investigation and were seeking information that could help identify those responsible and recover the stolen goods.
“It is famously said that ‘Guinness is good for you’, but that is only the case when it has been bought and paid for,” he said.
Police are appealing to motorists who were travelling in the area around the time of either theft to check their dashcam footage, as well as anyone with relevant CCTV or other video footage.
Anyone with information is asked to come forward to Cheshire Police.